The idea for a hut system on Mosquito Pass emerged after a summer hike in 2016 where the terrain awed Jeff Crane, and his mind latched onto what skiing possibilities might exist if accommodations were available.

Between Revelstoke and Golden, British Columbia, Rogers Pass climbs over the Selkirk Mountains and through Glacier National Park, beckoning skiers and riders with its easy access and big-mountain terrain. It’s the place that made Greg Hill’s 2010, two-million-foot season possible; it’s been written about in every major ski publication and appeared in countless ski movies. And now, it has an uncertain future.

A bluebird day on Monday gave way to clouds and fresh snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, much to the delight of the Board Test Week crew. And after a quick dawn patrol into the mountains on Tuesday morning, testers arrived back at Crested Butte ready to put more splits through the paces.

Over the last 25 years, Jeremy Jones has snowboarded everywhere from Vermont to Alaska. He was once a pioneer of big-mountain freeriding and has become a pioneer of human-powered riding. In 2007, he founded Protect Our Winters, an organization aimed at stopping climate change and three years later, he launched his groundbreaking film, Deeper. This month, he’ll release Higher, the final chapter in the three-part series. This won’t mark the end of exploration for Jones, though, “We have our hands full right now getting Higher out the door,” he says, “but there’s a lot I want to do, exactly how I want to document that, I don’t know.”

Twenty years ago, Larry Coats noted that the day had come when there was no longer a distinction between Nordic and Alpine skiing. And over the two decades since, a whole lot has happened with backcountry gear, from the boom and bust of telemark equipment to the splitboard explosion. Here’s how it all went down, as pulled from our pages.

In November Backcountry will celebrate its 20th birthday. The issues from the last two decades are lined up on my desk in descending order, and, I must admit, they’re taking up an awful lot of room. So in celebration of our approaching birthday, here’s a look at 20 years of Backcountry covers.

Cedric Bernardini was born just outside of Chamonix, but he didn’t become a skier until many years later. He has traveled all over, from Paris to Zimbabwe, but it was in the Sierra Nevada where he picked up his love for skiing. When Backcountry got him on the phone, Bernardini talked about days off, being lazy and skiing with friends.

It’s common knowledge among skiers that Lynsey Dyer can shred. After all, she’s been in more than a dozen ski films. But now she’s turning the lens around to produce an all-women ski film, Pretty Faces, due out in September. We caught up with Dyer to talk about Pretty Faces, community-sourced footage and motivating Minnesotan kids to ski.

Eighteen years ago, a backcountry skier’s shell walked and talked a lot differently than its contemporary fellows. But one thing remains the same: waterproof breathability is still at the core of the outerwear conversation.

Will Wissman has been taking pictures for longer than most people can say they have been skiing. He’s worked with magazines like Backcountry, National Geographic Adventure and Outside, and he carved out time in his busy schedule to chat with Backcountry about snowmaking, stoke and how avalanches can save lives..

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Uphill Travel

We’ve compiled a database of U.S. resorts with a little about each individual policy—where and when skinning is allowed, whether or not it’s free during operating hours and the link directly to the resort’s guidelines.